Getting started

weSkel brings rigging, skinning, animation and controller design tools into Maya. This guide covers installation, your first tool and updates.

The user package is being prepared

weSkel is under development. The User package and its installer are being prepared for Windows, Maya 2025.3 and Maya 2026.3. The download and installation steps will be added after validation on both versions.

You want to…	Go to…
Install weSkel for the first time	Install weSkel
Use an existing installation	Open your first tool
Understand how to update weSkel	Update weSkel
Find a solution to an error	Troubleshooting

Before you start

Reference	What you need to know
Windows	The target platform for the first distribution.
Maya 2025.3 and 2026.3	Targets for the upcoming package. Installation and update validation is still pending.
An existing installation	The guides introduce the tools and their launch commands.
An authorized source copy	The current manual setup remains available below; its examples use Maya 2026.3 on Windows.

The two planned packages serve different purposes:

Package	Intended use
User	Use the tools, their icons and entry points in Maya without having to use Git. This is the package intended for artists.
Dev	Contribute to development with authorized access to the sources and development tools. This access is separate from the user wiki.

Install weSkel

The User package is being prepared. The download link, installer filename and screenshots will be published with the validated procedure.

If weSkel is already configured on your workstation, go straight to your first tool. If you have an authorized source copy, the manual method remains available in the panel below.

Current manual installation — Maya 2026.3 / Windows

This method is for a complete weSkel source folder you have already obtained. It does not describe the upcoming compiled package. Keep the folder name and all supplied scripts and resources.

1. Place the folder

Choose a location where you can keep weSkel. Here is an example layout; the folder tree is abbreviated:

C:/maya_tools/
└── weSkel/
    ├── __init__.py
    └── src/
        └── resources/

The path to remember

Maya needs the parent folder of weSkel: C:/maya_tools in this example. Adjust this path in the following steps if your files are elsewhere.

2. Keep the installation available

Close Maya, then open or create Maya.env in your Windows user’s Documents/maya/2026/ folder. Add this line, adjusted to your location:

PYTHONPATH = C:/maya_tools

Situation	Action
There is no PYTHONPATH line	Add the line above on its own line.
A PYTHONPATH line already exists	Keep its paths and append the weSkel parent folder to the same line, separated by ;.
You just created the file	Check that its exact name is Maya.env, without an added .txt extension.

Save the file, then restart Maya to load the configuration. Autodesk reference: Maya.env.

Maya is configured by a studio

MAYA_ENV_DIR may select another location for Maya.env. A PYTHONPATH set by Windows or the studio launcher takes precedence over the one in Maya.env: have the weSkel parent folder added to that configuration. Autodesk reference: paths.

3. Check that Maya finds weSkel

In a Python tab of the Script Editor, run:

import weSkel

print(weSkel.__file__)

Expected result: a path to weSkel/__init__.py, such as C:/maya_tools/weSkel/__init__.py. The drive and separators may differ; check that it points to the copy you just placed.

If the path is correct, continue with your first tool. If Maya reports an error or a different copy, see troubleshooting.

Optional: try it for this session without changing Maya.env

This method temporarily replaces the configuration step. It lets you try weSkel in the current session, but you will need to repeat it after every Maya restart.

In the Python Script Editor, set tools_root to the weSkel parent folder, then run the entire block:

import sys
from pathlib import Path

tools_root = Path(r"C:\maya_tools")
if not (tools_root / "weSkel" / "__init__.py").is_file():
    raise FileNotFoundError("Expected weSkel/__init__.py inside tools_root.")

if str(tools_root) not in sys.path:
    sys.path.insert(0, str(tools_root))

import weSkel

print(weSkel.__file__)

Check the displayed path as above. If another copy has already been imported, restart Maya before trying the correct folder. To keep the installation available, return to Keep the installation available afterwards.

Open your first tool

Once weSkel is available in Maya, start by opening Chroma. In the Python Script Editor, run this block:

from weSkel.src.ui import chroma

chroma.show_dockable(floating=True)

The first window

The weSkel Chroma window should open. It floats when first opened; you can then dock it wherever you prefer. Maya may restore a previously saved location.

You can now follow the Chroma guide to choose a color and apply it to the selection, or move on to another tool below.

Choose a tool

Each guide explains how to use the tool and includes its launch code. Tool names stay the same in both languages.

Area	You want to…	Guide
Rig	Build or edit a rig module	Module Manager
Rig	Create pose correctives	Pushers
Skin	Inspect influences per vertex	Skin Influences per Vertex
Animation	Switch between FK and IK on Arm or Leg	Switch FK/IK
Utilities	Manage controller colors and palettes	Chroma

Update weSkel

The User package update procedure will be published after the installer is validated. The exact steps and how preferences are preserved will be documented with the distributed version.

Precautions for an existing manual installation

Step	Action
1. Keep your data	Back up your custom palettes, presets and preferences. The default data folder is weSkel/user_data/; if WESKEL_USER_DATA_ROOT is configured, back up the folder it points to.
2. Close Maya	Close sessions using the copy you are updating. Keep the previous copy before replacing files.
3. Apply the supplied update	Follow the instructions supplied with the new copy. If its location changes, adjust the path described in the manual installation.
4. Check after restarting	Restart Maya and check the path with import weSkel, then print(weSkel.__file__), before opening a tool.

Personal data from a previous copy is not automatically transferred to a new installation. Keep the backup until you have recovered the items you expect.

Resolve a common problem

Symptom	Check or action
No module named 'weSkel'	Check the folder name, the presence of __init__.py, and the parent set in PYTHONPATH. Restart Maya after changing Maya.env.
Expected weSkel/__init__.py inside tools_root.	In the temporary setup, the path points to the wrong parent, or the folder is incomplete or nested inside another folder.
No module named 'maya' or missing PySide6	Run the code inside Maya 2026.3, in a Python tab of the Script Editor.
The displayed path points to an old copy	Close Maya, correct the startup path, then reopen Maya.
The import worked before restarting	The temporary path was not retained. Review Maya.env or your studio launcher configuration.
Chroma opens docked	Maya is restoring its saved state. Undock the window and place it where you prefer.
An error persists	Keep the full Script Editor error, the Maya version, the weSkel path if it could be imported, and the action you performed, to include when reporting the problem.

After changing copies or updating weSkel files, restart Maya before using the tools again.

Choose your appearance

Wiki setting	Behavior
Theme	Find names from the catalogue shared with the weSkel UIs, such as Poseidon and Gaïa. The wiki preference is independent of Maya.
Language	Switch between French and English while keeping the same guide open.

The browser remembers these preferences when local storage is available. The copy buttons on code blocks let you take the examples into Maya.